Currency processing machines generally have the ability to receive bulk currency (e.g., currency bills and/or coins) from a user of the machine. Coin processing machines, for example, are commonly used as coin redemption machines wherein, after the deposited coins are counted and totaled, a receipt is issued indicating the value of the deposited coins. The user may redeem this receipt for the amount of deposited coins in the form of currency bills or, optionally, for an amount of the deposited coins less a commission charged for use of the coin redemption machine.
Coin redemption machines, in particular, are commonly used in both banking environments, business environments (e.g., armored transport services, telephone companies, etc.) and retail environments, such as grocery stores. In operation, a user inputs a batch of coins of mixed denominations into a hopper of the coin redemption machine. The machine discriminates items that are not valid coins, determines the value of the valid deposited coins and outputs a receipt indicative of the determined amount. In some embodiments, the receipt also indicates a second, lesser amount, which reflects a commission charged for use of the machine. The user redeems the receipt for paper currency for the value of the deposited coins less the commission. In a banking environment, a user may redeem the receipt at a teller's window, whereas, in a retail environment, the user can redeem the receipt at a cashier's station or a customer-service station.
One disadvantage associated with prior art coin redemption machines is the potential for fraud which exists with current receipt-type systems. For example, a receipt can be duplicated (i.e., counterfeited) and then redeemed more than once resulting in a loss for that particular store. Furthermore, if the receipt is lost by the user or is stolen from the user, the prior art machines fail to provide any manner for the user to recover their funds. Someone who has stolen or found the receipt can simply redeem the receipt from the retailer's cashier and receive the cash payment. Additionally, receipts may be altered, so as to fraudulently increase an apparent value of the receipt in an attempt to obtain more money from the receipt that its true value. Accordingly, as one example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,972, discloses a coin redemption machine printed voucher comprising various devices to deter, reduce, or eliminate unauthorized duplication or counterfeiting of such voucher, including various special inks, papers, indicia, and/or perforations. These devices and many others (e.g., holograms, optically variable devices, watermarks, fluorescent fibers, taggants, threads, barcodes, batch and date codes, micro-perforations, etc.), have been long-known in the negotiable instrument field and have been applied in a long-standing struggle to stem losses attributable to counterfeiting.
Access to portions of currency processing machines other than the currency input region is another area involving security concerns. Currency processing machines typically employ mechanically-based, electronically-based, and/or software-based systems to control access to associated portions of the currency processing machine. For example, key-based, combination-based, or alphanumeric-based locking devices and/or electronically-based access systems are typically used to physically control access to various portions of the currency processing machine. Identification-related access devices (e.g., magnetic cards, entry of identification codes via a keypad, etc.) are also typically used to control access to the software and/or functions of the currency processing machine. Persons having a need to access the device and/or to execute supervisory functions relating to the device are typically provided a key, combination, or password to bypass security features utilized to control access to such device and/or functions. However, keys, access cards, ID cards, passwords and/or combinations may be variously copied, stolen, compromised, lost, or forgotten. Mechanically-based systems also lack auditing features to affirmatively track the actual identity of those accessing the device and/or device functions.
Biometric systems are now being implemented in automated teller machines (“ATMs”) and common personal electronic devices (e.g., laptop computers) as a security feature to identify a user as an authorized user of the machine or device. As underlying assumption behind any biometric system is that the measured biometric characteristic or characteristic are sufficiently distinctive so as to permit effective differentiation between individuals and sufficiently repeatable so as to serve its intended purpose of provided substantially unimpeded access to an associated machine, device, or area if the data corresponding to the user's individual characteristic(s), such as a fingerprint, is determined to match stored data corresponding to such user's individual characteristic(s). Examples of ATMs utilizing a biometric input device are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,023,688, 6,793,134, and 7,000,832, the disclosure of each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
A need exists for currency processing systems, such as coin redemption systems, to provide a secure and reliable system and method for exchanging value for services or products and/or to provide security measures to guard against the unauthorized access and/or use, and to protect against counterfeiting or forging of redeemable instruments issued therefrom.